GoPro Hero 3: Suggestions and Reviews?

[nightfell]

I looking into getting a GoPro to document my trail rides and flatwork when I start my lease. I’ve been very lucky so far to have had a dedicated photographer (my mom haha) that has stuck it out with me during my lessons this winter in an outdoor arena. The videos and photos have helped me immensely in figuring out areas where and how I can improve

Comments

[re_vised]

I have no input on the GoPro, other than I want one for A) riding, B) dog training! I think it would help so much in both scenarios...

Rori is a cutie! I hope everything works out with leasing him/her!

[nightfell]

I think they are no contest, the brand to go with for action/sport cameras. I know regardless of which one I get, it'll get the job done but its just the little features that set each model apart that may (or may not) matter...I'm hoping to hear the latter haha

And thank you! She's an OTT Standie- fingers crossed, I tried her out last weekend and we made quite an amazing team (:

[re_vised]

Oh, I agree!

I've nothing but positive things about Standardbreds. Good luck with her!

[dougdougdoug]

I have the black. Actually I'm not sure the differences between the models. But I can tell you I do not use the remote control (so far) but I do use the iPhone app.

[nightfell]

I think the differences are very slight, there's stuff like higher video quality and resolution but I don't care much about since I'm not making professional grade movies or anything. But I WAS wondering if the remote control for the Black was useful or not when it came to riding...the answer is probably not!

[dougdougdoug]

If the other versions let you do the wi-fi with your phone then the remote is probably pointless.

[nightfell]

They do in fact; I think that seals the deal on that point then lol

[lyonesse]

i use an old flip video cam. neither my students nor i has the attention to spare to really work a camera, but we can stick the flip somewhere, ignore it in action, and play back later. it really does help!

[nightfell]

I don't have a video camera at all so this will be my first purchase of the sort and that's exactly what I plan on doing- just parking it somewhere secure/out of the way and just have it recording while I ride.

Pictures/video help SO much, my mom started taking them at first just for her own amusement but I realized very quickly they were invaluable for helping me learn so I've been dragging her out to the barn whenever I can. She's been a good sport about it so far!

[lyonesse]

your mom sounds like a trouper :)

i don't think the quality of the camera matters all that much -- my flip is ancient! so buy as nice a camera as you think will be worthwhile for other pursuits, or as you feel like spending money on, would be my suggestion. what you need for this kind of use, i think, is just something moderately sturdy and capable of recording a whole ride. anything else is gravy.

[lantairvlea]

A good, sturdy tripod will probably be a worthwhile investment to keep your camera from being knocked or blown over whatever you end up getting!

[beybladesabre]

I have the black and I absolutely love it! I don't really use the highest settings that come with it, so honestly I probably would have been just fine going with the silver or white. One tip though, splurge on a high speed micro sd card if you can, sometimes the card can't keep up with the recording and the camera will shut off randomly (this is a common problem). Using one of the lower settings (I use 960p at 48 fps) or getting a high speed card will remedy this easily though.

You can check out my helmet cam videos on my youtube if you like: www.youtube.com/albertaeventer

My only major complaint is that I still get a lot of wind noise even just cantering in an indoor arena, so I'm going to experiment with using part of a sponge to cut down on the noise. If you google there's a lot of DIY type things, so something to keep in mind if you experience the same.

[fishwithfeet]

I was wondering what camera you had. How do you attach yours to your helmet? I got a knockoff for super cheap and the helmet attachment won't attach to my helmet so it left me curious.

[beybladesabre]

I just use the Gopro head strap, it came with my camera and works fantastic! Very adjustable and I've never had a problem with it shifting of moving around, it stays put even when I've fallen off, haha. This is the one I have: http://gopro.com/camera-mounts/head-strap-mount

[nightfell]

Can I ask what sd card you use? I've read that the Hero3 Black is a bit more finicky with which cards it'll work well with while the Hero3 Silver and White are more forgiving.

And thanks for the heads up about the wind noise- I'll definitely give it a go and test how things work on my end. Let me know how the sponge works (x

[brokenintention]

My post is the one from April your referring to. I ended up getting the HD Hero2, and I've been so happy with it. You can check out my videos at http://www.youtube.com/user/HaleyHasAGoPro

I don't think you'd need the Black. The extra features are nice, but aside from getting a higher video quality, I can't think of a reason to justify upgrading from mine so I would think the white or silver would be totally fine. You can also buy different door attachments (the door is what goes onto the plastic housing unit the camera fits into. The housing unit then connects to different attachments i.e. the helmet strap etc), and the door can have noise diffusing material on it, basically fuzzy stuff, so it cuts the wind noise. Ive had really good luck with mine.

Anything else you can think of, just ask :)

[nightfell]

Great, thank you for the feedback- I'll definitely give your videos a look :D